Salsa it up!

 

Doesn't this cantaloupe/mango/papaya salsa look AMAZING? Click here for the recipe. It almost makes me willing to cook!

P.S. These particular three fruits have such amusing names, don't they?

Wit's End

When we are at our wit's end for an answer, then the Holy Spirit can give us an answer. But how can He give us an answer when we are still well supplied with all sorts of answers of our own? ~ Karl Barth

The Barnabus Group

Many small nonprofits are in desperate need of business skills but do not have the funds to hire or contract the necessary people. The Barnabus Group is a wonderful "ministry that helps ministries." Named after "the Son of Encouragement" in the New Testament, it is comprised of Christian business men and women who contribute their time, expertise, experience, and money to other ministries. The Barnabus Group has a handful of yearly meetings at which ministries are able to present their mission and needs. The members of the Barnabus Group can use their discretion in choosing which ministries to assist and how to go about it. Through the gracious invitation of a friend, I was able to attend a Barnabus Group meeting in Orange County two years ago and left impressed with the group's integrity and function.


The mission of the Barnabus Group is "To see the talent, touch, and treasure of marketplace and other Kingdom leaders help ministries transform lives worldwide." They have helped a variety of local and international ministries and even some well-known entities such as the Orange County Rescue Mission and Forest Home. Although they are determined to expand, at the moment groups are only meeting in urban areas. Learn more at their website.

The Plunge

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Talent

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. ~ James 1:17 NASB

40 hours a week

As most of you know, I recently finished my third month working for Joni and Friends, an international disability ministry founded by Joni Erickson Tada. I was asked to memorize our mission statement for my orientation, so let me share: To communicate the Gospel and equip Christ honoring churches worldwide to evangelize and disciple people affected by disability. 

Joni and Friends has several programs. I work in the Wheels for the World department which has four stages:

1.) Collection--hundreds of Chair Corp volunteers collect donated wheelchairs, crutches, and canes from around the United States.

2.) Restoration--the donated wheelchairs are sent to fifteen different prisons throughout the United States where they are refurbished by prisoners. The inmates generally have lifetime sentences, and our program often has waiting lists.

3.) Transportation--the wheelchairs are put in shipping containers, driven to a port, and shipped over water to their destination. This year we are going on 21 outreaches to 17 countries in South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. We cannot distribute within the United States because of liability issues.

4.) Distribution--the wheelchairs are distributed in partnership with local churches or nonprofits. We send teams of therapists, mechanics, and support workers who individually fit every recipient to their new wheelchair. My job is to communicate with all team members from the moment they apply until their departure, assisting them with their application and other necessary paperwork. This endeavor has claimed the lives of many sticky notes as I sort through details. If any of you are interested in going to Romania in August, India in September, or Jordan in November, we need therapists and the mechanically inclined!

Prescription

Sometimes when I am unable to break out of a funk, I make lists of things that are still enjoyable. Here we go...

Beef tacos from Taco Llama

Getting mail

Shrimp, my cat

Shrimp, the edible sort

Warmth

Clean sheets

Fair trade chocolate with raspberries

Sudafed

Goodwill

Designstar

Perfume with gardenia overtones

charity:water

Simon and Garfunkel (in moderation)

Free things

Chewy chocolate chip cookies

Trader Joe's

Glass

Green

Window seats

Yellow!

Many other bloggers have posted lovely pictures of yellow + gray combinations in decor as well as the use of yellow accents. I am partial to both. I'll share only a couple pictures and recommend that you use Google Image for further eye candy.

I love the spareness of this room, the rug, the yellow table, the wire chair, and unexpectedly the bunnies. Oh yes, and the gray. Which means just about everything, doesn't it?

Although this is not my style, I thought the designer did quite well creating a particular look. That table is amazing, and I like the different perspective of the map.

Well, as you may have surmised, I think this room is great. I like the lightness, the built in bookshelf, the yellow chairs, the complementary drawers and chest, the cool lamp, the overhead light, the sisal rug... It is a bit too nautical for me with the portrait, glass, rope mirror frame, sea fans, etc. However, it's lovely overall.

World HIV Ranking

Check out this link from the CIA World Fact Book for a ranking of countries according to HIV prevalence among adults. The first twenty-two countries are in Africa. It is hard for me to process that there is a country--Swaziland--where more than one in four adults has HIV. Of course, the whole country only has 1,300,000 or so people, which is about the size of San Diego. Still, imagine driving down the 805 knowing that one out of every four adults you see has HIV.

I wonder if Swaziland citizens know about their epidemic? Even more disturbing to me is the last section of Swaziland's entry in the CIA World Fact book which states that Swaziland is a major source, destination, and transit point for human trafficking. Men are trafficked for labor and women are trafficked for sex, especially into South Africa and Mozambique. Great, South Africa already has the largest population of people infected by HIV, nearly six million by some estimates! Mozambique is a country where the average life expectancy is 52 years.

Quotables II

Beth: "Katie, I'm too tired to talk intelligently."

__________________________________

Me: Noticing Jeremy's frequent glances towards a female wearing an exceptionally short, tight dress.

Me: "At the very least, can you not check out women in front of me, please?"

Jeremy: Gesturing towards another seat not in his line of vision, "Well, you could always move! That would solve the problem."

___________________________________

Carlene: Describes Callen's frequent diaper blow-outs and then leaves the room to attend to one.

Richie: "Have you ever noticed that we're not supposed to talk about poop, but people do it all the time? It's not supposed to be out in the open, but we just find ways to talk about it. It's grassroots. It's like a silent movement."

--Pause of silence--

Richie: I just made a pun! Did you hear that? I made a pun!"

Me and Katie: "Yes, yes you did."

___________________________________

A male visitor's response to an offering of a second helping of cake: "Well, thank you, but I have to watch my figure or no one else is going to."

Can you care too much?

For those who want a more in depth view of the International Justice Mission and some insight into the founder, Gary Haugen, I found this article to be informative and well-written. It is relatively substantial, and I appreciated that it included some criticism. I found the title a bit misleading: "The Enforcer: A Christian Lawyer's Global Crusade." Let me know what you think of the title. In my various readings and wanderings, I also found this article about sex-trafficking into the United States. IJM works overseas, but both Gary Haugen and the director of anti-trafficking operations, Sharon Cohn, are quoted. 

Please be warned: both of these articles are difficult to read. They are heart-breaking. After I read the second article, I lay face down in bed and thought of how to encourage those of you who perhaps are completely unaware that such horrible things are happening in such prosaic places as Vista, California. The phrase leaped to mind "among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Philippians 2:15) In such a "crooked and perverse generation" as the verse says, your light of love makes a far greater impact than you know. Love God and follow as He leads. He is connecting entity, and even though you may not physically be involved in a rescue, your prayers and love of those He puts in your way WILL make a difference. I also thought of this verse that I have up in my cubicle: "We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed..." 2 Corinthians 4:8-9. This is an encouraging passage for justice work.

As I continue to intake these stories and navigate my own story, I am learning how to live with a broken heart. At times I have been cautioned, criticized, and misunderstood for caring so much about other people's suffering. Frankly, it is difficult for me to receive this feedback from people who I do not perceive to be as caring. I often conclude that people are missing out on the joy of being involved in God's works of justice and mercy. Yet, I know I often mishandle my sympathy for the suffering. This conference validated the conclusion at which I have arrived over the past several months of talking with God and experiencing a wide range of brokenheartedness. 

Although I am still figuring out what this looks like, I have come to believe that being brokenhearted is the correct response. When I read the Bible, I cannot get away from how fiercely God calls us to care for the poor and oppressed. It's inescapable how much He loves! However, I have also come to see that dead souls are the worst form of suffering, and this is why Jesus weeps over Jerusalem. I have also come to see that although I will always be affected by the plight of the poor and oppressed and will always work to replace injustice with God's restorative justice, I cannot let brokenheartedness steal my joy. This is a subject of much prayer; hence the many "I will" statements I have referenced. For example, I will choose the Lord even when He seems stingy with joy. I will trust Him even when I do not understand why He allows such levels of suffering. I will proclaim His goodness in 2am blog posts when I have to wake up in 4.5 hours. With that, the end.

PS--I love you!

PS--I love you! Sorry reader, the PS is referring to purple succulents. Succulents in moderation have always brought me cough drops of happiness. I use the term "cough drops" because it is the first image that popped in my head to describe little bits of happiness scattered throughout one's day, savored until they fade away. I think this affinity stems (pun intended) from my grandmother's small collection, which she refers to as "hens and chicks." Thus, succulents subconsciously make me think of fowl. All that to say, lately I have been desirous of upgrading my ivy plant at work to a purple succulent. This is feasible as I sit next to a giant window and bask in the sunlight until my addled coworkers draw the blinds to cut the glare. 

Yes, celebrate with me about the giant window! Have I mentioned that I also sit next to an astonishingly talented woman who routinely wins blue ribbons at the Ventura County Fair for her desserts? Seriously, every summer she uses the staff as taste testers for new recipes because you cannot re-enter a category you've already won. Just this week after a period of thoughtful reflection (you may have caught the redundancy, but it is accurate to my cogitations), I spontenously rejoiced: "And tomorrow we get cookies!" Bill replied, "Isn't life great?"

And life will be greater once you too have basked in the beauty of these purple succulents acquired from a Google Image search.

Freedom CD

The International Justice Mission (IJM) has received much blog attention from me lately and rightly so. Hopefully you  have followed my links and checked out their website. *(I just have to say for those of you unfamiliar with blogs, if words are underlined and appear in a different color, such as the word "website" here, you can click on them to be taken to the website to which the writer refers. I'm serious. As my dad says, this is Jetson stuff. Try it.) Many of you received the Freedom CD from me for Christmas or your birthday. You already know I mostly snag great deals and free things, so it should be no surprise that this CD is an absolute steal at $5.00, so you should buy some for presents while supplies last. Sarah Groves' "When the Saints" song makes Beth and me cry; we were able to listen to her sing it live at a concert last Friday as part of the conference. (She has a more upbeat version of it on her own CD.) Here is the description from Family Christian Bookstores, the distributor:

This unprecedented compilation was written and performed for the Freedom project by many of the biggest names in Christian music – artists MercyMe, tobyMac, Jars of Clay and Tenth Avenue North – who share in the vision of the International Justice Mission and donated their time and proceeds to this project. Third Day takes the lead with the first track, entitled “Arise,” an amazing song that cries out to God for freedom and forgiveness. The accompanying DVD is IJM’s compelling presentation on ending human slavery and includes a feature on The James Fund. 


Yes, I have to say that the "Arise" song also makes me cry, but in a good way. It is the overwhelming feeling that I am part of something much larger than myself, partaking in the glory of God's inevitable plans.


More on IJM tomorrow! Yippee!

My three favorite nonprofits

Don't you love it when you admire something from afar, have the opportunity to draw close, and find that the object, person, or entity is well-deserving of your regard? Holding up under close scrutiny demonstrates integrity. 


Occasionally I come across individuals, organizations, writings, etc. that command greater respect after revealing their intricacies and details. I experienced this two years ago as an intern for Samaritan's Purse and more recently as a new hire at Joni and Friends. Both organizations "practice what they preach" and have leadership who genuinely work out their faith in fear and trembling. Last weekend I had a closer glimpse of the International Justice Mission (IJM) and came away with a similarly gratifying experience. These people love the Lord tremendously and are thus motivated to champion victims of violent oppression. They are the real deal. As you can see from the list on the side bar, I make it a point to support these three organizations and am tremendously grateful that I have had a chance to personally interact with all of them. (For you intuitive types--yes, I hope to work for IJM at some point in my nonprofit career.)

Let justice run down like water

²¹ “ I hate, I despise your feast days,
      And I do not savor your sacred assemblies.
       ²² Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
      I will not accept them,
      Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.
       ²³ Take away from Me the noise of your songs,
      For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.
       ²⁴ But let justice run down like water,
      And righteousness like a mighty stream. 

Amos 5:24

Last year during a time of discouragement about human suffering, the Lord directed me to read Amos. Generally, I do not spend much time reading the minor prophets, and at the time could not recall anything of Amos. I remember being encouraged and astounded by how emphatically God insisted on justice. There was no getting around it! No excuses. Horrific atrocities were being committed, and Israel was not responding. I certainly see this to some level in the church today. 

This verse I have quoted above, Amos 5:24, was the inspiration for the name of the conference I attended: Mighty Waters. It is also displayed in the lobby water feature at Joni and Friends. It is encouraging how God seeds things in us, such as this verse that is now prominent in my life.

Mighty Waters

Last Thursday-Saturday I attended the Mighty Waters conference in partnership between International Justice Mission and the Ogilvie Institute (the preaching arm of Fuller Seminary). It was an extraordinary time of passion, wisdom, worship, and encouragement. With only about 150 in attendance (my estimate), it was an intimate event with intentional Q&A sessions. The speakers are dedicated God-lovers who often speak to hundreds and thousands. The following is a compilation of my notes from the various speakers, with the exception of Brenda Salter McNeil because I plan to cover her in a later post. These phrases were scattered throughout the weekend, but I have ordered them to give you an overview of the conference.

The "Sinner's Prayer" is only the leading edge of the wedge. There is so much more to the Gospel! Eric Mextas (check out his conversion story here)

Jesus is Lord. Justice is not external to God but rather an internal part of His character. The incarnation is the primary example of God's justice. Immediately after the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus healed a leper (social outcast, unclean) and the Roman centurion's servant (hated tyrant, unclean Gentile). He lived out His sermon. His actions confronted religiosity. Mark Labberton

Two great sins: idolatry and injustice. They are the inverse of the two greatest commandments: love God and love your neighbor as yourself. You can trace all injustice--even deeply rooted, systematic injustice--back to individuals abusing others. In Matthew 23, Jesus points to the neglect of justice. Bethany Hoang

Why are far away tragedies tolerable? Bethany Hoang quoting a Nobel Prize Winner

Everyone loves the idea of justice until it costs something. How can we ask people to give up things if we're not willing to give? We need to enable avenues for people to give. Eugene Cho 

God is calling us not to be safe but to be brave. I say, "Sure God, I'll follow You, but I need You to give me a clear path. And I need You to tell me how much it's going to cost and to guarantee success." [Much identifying laughter] Do we want to be safe or brave? We can't be both. Gary Haugen

I tend to be a reactionary activist. Justin McRoberts

It is the "I have to do something!" attitude versus "What are we called to do?" Mark Labberton

Live simply, give generously, and buy ethically so that the cries of the harvesters do not have to go up to God. Nathan George

 

Our service should be sustainable and joyful. Joy is the oxygen of our obedience. Guilt makes you hold your breath. It makes you think, "Who am I to enjoy all these things? What about those who are suffering?" And then you do not breathe in the joy of your family, your friends, creation, the second beer. You hold your breath until you suffocate. Gary Haugen paraphrasing Dallas Willard

God longs for human flourishing. Yet, God is extraordinarily patient, even with human suffering. I do not understand this! I am not that patient, but we are not creating a utopia. Rather, God is building His kingdom. Mark Labberton

The end is good, so if it's not good, then it's not the end yet. Justin McRoberts quoting a Kenyan pastor  

What does all this Kingdom language mean? It means showing up believing. Mark Labberton

If you don't live what you say you believe, then you don't believe it. Mark Labberton

Cool people consumers, cont.

As mentioned in yesterday's post, last Saturday I was able to visit the Ten Thousand Villages store in Pasadena. The third volunteer I queried was a Methodist missionary in Zimbabwe for fifteen years. He put his children in local public schools when the country was still under colonial rule that segregated education. Evidently, it was a system similar to apartheid. At one time, his family lived in a village. His motivation for volunteering? -- "I've seen what's it's like to live in a village and try to raise a family. I've seen how these women struggle and work just to survive, to make shirts that Walmart sells for $10.50 and the women get less than a dollar. It's not right, and I want to help them. Most of those women just want to educate their children." This gentleman referred to being "forced out" of the country, and he returned to the United States and taught theology at various colleges, including his alma mater, Yale University. Now he is "retired" but continues to volunteer. I was proud of him for trying to recruit me as a volunteer.
 
Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out how to incorporate ethical purchasing into my life. Thankfully, I have a head start since most of my clothing comes from the Fillmore Goodwill. Yet, if I think of all my money as God's and all my dollars as votes, then I still have a long way to go. I am grateful for individuals and organizations who have put work into researching companies, importing products, and developing a fair trade market. 

Nathan George is one of those individuals,and I was privileged to meet him recently at the justice conference. (More on that later.) Believing that ALL of our money belongs to God and that spending is a stewardship and discipleship issue, he founded Trade as One to equip the church to love its overseas neighbors by purchasing fair trade. We were both pleased that I had previously discovered Trade as One through a Google search. He still can use all the help he can get to promote the organization within churches, so if you think that your church might be open to selling fair trade projects, check out their website. You can also buy from them as an individual. I'm thinking of asking for a three-month subscription to their food box as a birthday present from my fam. To quote Nathan:

Live simply, give generously, and buy ethically so that the cries of the harvesters don't have to go up to God.

Cool people consumers

Saturday on a whim I visited the Ten Thousand Villages fair trade store in Pasadena. Boy, did I walk in on the right day! They were having a buy one get one half off sale on jewelry and free chocolate samples of Divine Chocolate. (My favorite is the dark chocolate with raspberries. Sigh.) Having just driven over from a justice conference at Fuller Seminary, I was curious as to what motivated the volunteers who greeted the customers and rang up the purchases. 

One young man told me that the store was a good place to meet cool people and warned that if I wasn't a cool person, he would go away and talk to another customer. Although I did not claim to fulfill his qualifications for conversation, I did proceed to inquire further about his motivations for being there. (Have you noticed that the average person greatly enjoys chatting when the topic of conversation is, frankly, him or her?) He proceeded to explain that the store is a great hang out place, and he likes being in an environment that celebrates other cultures and brings in people with interests that are not mainstream. (Yes, yes, I am translating his words into my vernacular. His language was much more "cool" than mine, although my friend Joe once described me as "cool beans.") He asked what interested me about fair trade, and I gave an admirably brief explanation to which he quipped, "Yeah, it's not so much the cause for me, although I'm getting more into that. I mean, injustice was my thing, so I figured, why not try justice?" 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, are we going to let the world stumble across fair trade and "social justice" because it is cool and alternative before we realize that supporting fair trade should be the Christian's way of life? I am not trying to impose a shopping mandate, but rather stating that our love for our overseas neighbors should compel us to consider our purchases and make a shift when possible. At the moment it is certainly not easy to buy ethical products, but is that not all the more reason to support those who are making the effort to bring them to our country?

More on fair trade tomorrow for those of you who want to move in that direction!

When Mother's Day isn't happy

Mother's Day is without a doubt an excellent opportunity to honor the women God has chosen to birth and nurture us. I find it less corporately exploited than other holidays and certainly subscribe to the tradition of bestowing a card and gift upon my particular progenitor. Yet, it has often occurred to me that Mother's Day is a landmark date of secret pain for many women. Perhaps the pain is from the loss of one's mother or from a strained relationship. It may be the pain of being childless or having lost a child. I appreciate Noel Piper's post on this subject, reminding us that God knows even our hidden sorrows and can use them for His glory.

I will

Am thinking often of "I will statements" including yesterday morning at church singing "I will wait on the Lord." I don't think people realize the power of their words. Even if God was not all powerful and sovereign, I have pretty much given Him leave to do whatever He wants in my life via the many worship songs I have sung over the years. The Lord takes us up on our prayers and promises even when we have forgotten them. Be mindful of what you are promising God and people.